Unveiled

‘You don’t have a choice in the matter,’ he snorts, blatantly forcing indifference when I know it means the world to him.

‘We’ll need a nursery.’ I’m poking him, and I’m going to take a huge amount of pleasure from his reaction when he finally registers that babies equal mess. Now that there’s room in his mind for stuff other than depressing heartache, I expect that realisation may come soon.

‘I concur,’ he replies simply, making my smile widen.

‘And there will be baby paraphernalia everywhere all the time.’

He’s not so quick to counter my poke this time. ‘Elaborate.’

I surrender to the overwhelming enticement of catching what I know will be mild panic settling on his face and turn to relish in it, ridding my face of all amusement. ‘Nappies, romper suits, bottles, powdered milk all over the worktop in your kitchen.’ I bite down on my lip when the panic intensifies before my eyes. He rests his hands casually in his trouser pockets and relaxes his standing position, attempting to disguise it. He fails terribly. ‘The list is endless,’ I add.

He shrugs nonchalantly on a pout. ‘They’re tiny little things. I can’t imagine he or she will cause too much disruption.’

I could squeeze him to death. He clearly needs it. ‘Really, Miller?’

‘Well there will be no powdered milk because you’ll be breast-feeding. And we’ll have places for all of the other stuff. You’re creating issues.’

‘Your perfect world is about to explode into a million pieces, Miller Hart.’

He gives me that glorious dimpled grin, eyes sparkling and all. Then I smile as he stalks towards me and tackles me, carrying me through the lounge with my front pinned against his chest. ‘My perfect world has never been more perfect and light, Olivia Taylor.’ He hits me with a hard kiss, and I laugh into his mouth. ‘And it’s only going to get brighter, sweet girl.’

‘I concur,’ I agree as he takes us into his bedroom, and yelp when he launches me from his arms. I land on his perfect bed, sending his decorative cushions sailing in every direction. I’m a little stunned, even more so when Miller catapults himself towards me, fully dressed. ‘What are you doing?’ I laugh, accommodating his silent demand and opening up to him when he pushes my thighs apart.

He starts yanking at the sheets around us, pulling them out of position, bunching them into creased balls here and there. I can do no more than watch him in action, squealing in shock and delight when he starts rolling us across the bed, tangling us up in the white cotton.

‘Miller!’ I laugh, losing sight of him and the rest of the room when I become buried beneath the material. I’m all caught up, the sheets tugging tightly every time I try to move, Miller laughing and cursing as he tries to unravel us but only ending up knotting us more.

I’m being rolled repeatedly. I’m underneath him, then above him. We’re bound tightly together by the bedding, blind and laughing.

‘I’m stuck!’ I chuckle, trying to kick my legs out. ‘I can’t move!’

‘Bollocks,’ he curses, spinning us over again, but he goes the wrong way and my stomach drops when there’s suddenly no bed under us.

‘Oh!’ I cry as we hit the floor on an almighty thud. I’m laughing properly now, feeling Miller tugging and pulling at the sheets as he tries to locate me.

‘Where the hell are you?’ he grumbles.

All I can see is cotton. Everywhere is brilliant white cotton, but I can smell him and feel him, and when the sheets are whipped from my face on a polite curse, I can see him, too. He takes my breath away.

‘Falling out of bed is becoming a habit,’ he whispers, circling his nose with mine before saturating my senses with a full-blown kiss that’s loaded with a lifetime’s worth of love and a ton of exquisite desire. ‘You taste divine.’

Our tongues dance delicately together, our hands wander wildly, and our eyes remain open, locked and burning with fiery passion. Once again, it is just me and Miller in our own little bubble of happiness, like so many times before, except this time there’s no cruel world to face outside this flat.

It’s done with.

Our one night is now one lifetime. And way, way beyond that, too.

‘I love your bones, Miller Hart,’ I mumble into his mouth, smiling when I feel his lips stretch.

‘That makes me very happy.’ He pulls away and carries out a string of motions, blinking lazily, parting his lips just so, and watching me with hooded, intense eyes. It’s like he knows that each and every one of those characteristics contributed to my original fascination and he’s reminding me of them. No need. I close my eyes and I see them. I keep my eyes open and I see them. My dreams are my reality, but now it is all good. There’s no hiding anymore. I can have him day, night, in dreams, and for real. He belongs to me.

‘You’re creasing my suit, sweet girl.’ He’s straight-faced. It makes me laugh loudly. Of all the things for him to be concerned about now, it’s his fine threads. ‘What’s got you so tickled?’

‘You!’ I chuckle. ‘Just you.’

‘Excellent,’ he concludes sharply, pushing himself up. ‘That makes me happy, too.’ My hands are grasped and I’m pulled up into a sitting position. ‘I want to do something.’

‘What?’

‘Shhh,’ he hushes me as he encourages me to my feet, tugging on my hand gently. ‘You’ll come with me.’ He lightly takes my nape and my eyes close, savouring the familiar feel of his touch on my skin, the heat spurting from the source and creeping across my flesh. From my neck to my toes, I’m immersed in the comfort and warmth his touch provokes. ‘Earth to Olivia,’ he whispers in my ear, opening my eyes.